The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule eventually provoked an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 assisted the Cubans in overthrowing Spanish rule. The Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence from Spain in 1898 and, following three-and-a-half years of subsequent US military rule, Cuba became an independent republic in 1902 after which the island experienced a string of governments mostly dominated by the military and corrupt politicians. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his authoritarian rule held the subsequent regime together for nearly five decades. He stepped down as president in February 2008 in favor of his younger brother Raul CASTRO. Cuba's communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. On 8-9 September 2017, Hurricane Irma passed along the north coast of Cuba causing extensive damage to structures, roads, and power supplies. Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez, hand-picked by Raul CASTRO to succeed him, was approved as president by the National Assembly and took office on 19 April 2018.

The country faced a severe economic downturn in 1990 following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies worth $4-6 billion annually. Cuba at times portrays the US embargo, in place since 1961, as the source of its difficulties. Over the past decade, there has been growing communication with the Cuban Government to address national interests. As a result of efforts begun in December 2014 to re-establish diplomatic relations with the Cuban Government, which were severed in January 1961, the US and Cuba reopened embassies in their respective countries on 20 July 2015. However, the embargo remains in place.

Illicit migration of Cuban nationals to the US via maritime and overland routes has been a longstanding challenge. On 12 January 2017, the US and Cuba signed a Joint Statement ending the so-called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy – by which Cuban nationals who reached US soil were permitted to stay – facilitating the repatriation of Cuban migrants. Illicit Cuban migration has since dropped significantly. In FY 2017, the US Coast Guard interdicted 1,606 Cuban nationals at sea. Also in FY 2017, 20,995 Cuban migrants presented themselves at various land border ports of entry throughout the US.

Geography :: Cuba

Location:

Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida

Geographic coordinates:

21 30 N, 80 00 W

Map references:

Central America and the Caribbean

Area:

total:110,860 sq km

land:109,820 sq km

water:1,040 sq km

country comparison to the world:
107

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Pennsylvania

Land boundaries:

total:28.5 km

border countries (1):
US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 28.5 km

note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba

Coastline:

3,735 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea:12nm

exclusive economic zone:200nm

contiguous zone:24nm

Climate:

tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)

Terrain:

mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast

This is the population pyramid for Cuba. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.

For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

Dependency ratios:

total dependency ratio:43.3(2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio:23.3(2015 est.)

elderly dependency ratio:19.9(2015 est.)

potential support ratio:5(2015 est.)

Median age:

total:41.8 years

male:40.2 years

female:43.1 years(2018 est.)

country comparison to the world:
36

Population growth rate:

-0.27%(2018 est.)

country comparison to the world:
215

Birth rate:

10.6 births/1,000 population(2018 est.)

country comparison to the world:
185

Death rate:

8.9 deaths/1,000 population(2018 est.)

country comparison to the world:
63

Net migration rate:

-4.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population(2017 est.)

country comparison to the world:
190

Population distribution:

large population clusters found throughout the country, the more significant ones being in the larger towns and cities, particularly the capital of Havana

Urbanization:

urban population:77% of total population(2018)

rate of urbanization:0.14% annual rate of change(2015-20 est.)

Major urban areas - population:

2.136 million HAVANA (capital)
(2018)

Sex ratio:

at birth:1.06 male(s)/female(2017 est.)

0-14 years:1.06 male(s)/female(2017 est.)

15-24 years:1.08 male(s)/female(2017 est.)

25-54 years:1.01 male(s)/female(2017 est.)

55-64 years:0.94 male(s)/female(2017 est.)

65 years and over:0.81 male(s)/female(2017 est.)

total population:0.99 male(s)/female(2017 est.)

Maternal mortality rate:

39 deaths/100,000 live births(2015 est.)

country comparison to the world:
106

Infant mortality rate:

total:4.4 deaths/1,000 live births(2018 est.)

male:4.9 deaths/1,000 live births(2018 est.)

female:3.9 deaths/1,000 live births(2018 est.)

country comparison to the world:
182

Life expectancy at birth:

total population:78.9 years(2018 est.)

male:76.6 years(2018 est.)

female:81.4 years(2018 est.)

country comparison to the world:
56

Total fertility rate:

1.71 children born/woman(2018 est.)

country comparison to the world:
170

Contraceptive prevalence rate:

73.7%(2014)

Health expenditures:

11.1% of GDP(2014)

country comparison to the world:
12

Physicians density:

7.52 physicians/1,000 population(2014)

Hospital bed density:

5.2 beds/1,000 population(2014)

Drinking water source:

improved:urban:96.4% of population(2015 est.)

rural:89.8% of population(2015 est.)

total:94.9% of population(2015 est.)

unimproved:urban:3.6% of population(2015 est.)

rural:10.2% of population(2015 est.)

total:5.1% of population(2015 est.)

Sanitation facility access:

improved:urban:94.4% of population(2015 est.)

rural:89.1% of population(2015 est.)

total:93.2% of population(2015 est.)

unimproved:urban:5.6% of population(2015 est.)

rural:10.9% of population(2015 est.)

total:6.8% of population(2015 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:

0.4%(2017 est.)

country comparison to the world:
71

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:

30,000(2017 est.)

country comparison to the world:
72

HIV/AIDS - deaths:

<500(2017 est.)

Major infectious diseases:

degree of risk:
intermediate
(2016)

food or waterborne diseases:
bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
(2016)

vectorborne diseases:
dengue fever
(2016)

note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country (as of August 2016); it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex, via blood transfusion, or during pregnancy, in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:

24.6%(2016)

country comparison to the world:
56

Education expenditures:

12.8% of GDP(2010)

country comparison to the world:
1

Literacy:

definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
(2015 est.)

total population:99.8%(2015 est.)

male:99.9%(2015 est.)

female:99.8%(2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):

total:14 years(2015)

male:13 years(2015)

female:14 years(2015)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:

total:6.1%(2010 est.)

male:6.4%(2010 est.)

female:5.6%(2010 est.)

country comparison to the world:
150

People - note:

illicit emigration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miami and overland via the southwest border; the number of Cubans migrating to the US surged after the announcement of normalization of US-Cuban relations in late December 2014 but has decreased since the end of the so-called "wet-foot, dry-foot" policy on 12 January 2017

Government :: Cuba

Country name:

conventional long form:
Republic of Cuba

conventional short form:
Cuba

local long form:
Republica de Cuba

local short form:
Cuba

etymology:
name derives from the Taino Indian designation for the island "coabana" meaning "great place"

Government type:

communist state

Capital:

name:
Havana

geographic coordinates:
23 07 N, 82 21 W

time difference:
UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:
+1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November; note - Cuba has been known to alter the schedule of DST on short notice in an attempt to conserve electricity for lighting

20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902); not acknowledged by the Cuban Government as a day of independence

National holiday:

Triumph of the Revolution (Liberation Day), 1 January (1959)

Constitution:

history:
several previous; latest adopted by referendum 15 February 1976, effective 24 February 1976; note - in early June 2018, the Cuban Government announced that Raul CASTRO would head a commission to rewrite the country's constitution
(2018)

amendments:
proposed by the National Assembly of People’s Power; passage requires approval of at least two-thirds majority of the National Assembly membership; amendments to constitutional articles on the authorities of the National Assembly, Council of State, or any rights and duties in the constitution also require approval in a referendum; constitutional articles on the Cuban political, social, and economic system cannot be amended; amended 1978, 1992, 2002
(2018)

Legal system:

civil law system based on Spanish civil code

International law organization participation:

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship:

citizenship by birth:
yes

citizenship by descent only:
yes

dual citizenship recognized:
no

residency requirement for naturalization:
unknown

Suffrage:

16 years of age; universal

Executive branch:

chief of state:
President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 19 April 2018); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Salvador Antonio VALDES Mesa (since 19 April 2018); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:
President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Miguel DIAZ-CANEL Bermudez (since 19 April 2018); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Salvador Antonio VALDES Mesa (since 19 April 2018)

cabinet:
Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State and appointed by the National Assembly; it is subordinate to the 31-member Council of State, which is elected by the Assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session

elections/appointments:
president and vice presidents indirectly elected by the National Assembly for a 5-year term (may be reelected for another 5-year term); election last held on 19 April 2018 (next to be held in 2023)

description:
unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular (605 seats; members directly elected by absolute majority vote; members serve 5-year terms); note - the National Candidature Commission submits a slate of approved candidates; to be elected, candidates must receive more than 50% of valid votes otherwise the seat remains vacant or the Council of State can declare another election

elections:
last held on 11 March 2018 (next to be held in early 2023)

election results:
Cuba's Communist Party is the only legal party, and officially sanctioned candidates run unopposed

judge selection and term of office:
professional judges elected by the National Assembly are not subject to a specific term; lay judges nominated by workplace collectives and neighborhood associations and elected by municipal or provincial assemblies; lay judges appointed for 5-year terms and serve up to 30 days per year

five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center; the blue bands refer to the three old divisions of the island: central, occidental, and oriental; the white bands describe the purity of the independence ideal; the triangle symbolizes liberty, equality, and fraternity, while the red color stands for the blood shed in the independence struggle; the white star, called La Estrella Solitaria (the Lone Star) lights the way to freedom and was taken from the flag of Texas

note: design similar to the Puerto Rican flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed

National symbol(s):

royal palm; national colors: red, white, blue

National anthem:

name:
"La Bayamesa" (The Bayamo Song)

lyrics/music:
Pedro FIGUEREDO

note: adopted 1940; Pedro FIGUEREDO first performed "La Bayamesa" in 1868 during the Ten Years War against the Spanish; a leading figure in the uprising, FIGUEREDO was captured in 1870 and executed by a firing squad; just prior to the fusillade he is reputed to have shouted, "Morir por la Patria es vivir" (To die for the country is to live), a line from the anthem

Economy :: Cuba

Economy - overview:

The government continues to balance the need for loosening its socialist economic system against a desire for firm political control. In April 2011, the government held the first Cuban Communist Party Congress in almost 13 years, during which leaders approved a plan for wide-ranging economic changes. Since then, the government has slowly and incrementally implemented limited economic reforms, including allowing Cubans to buy electronic appliances and cell phones, stay in hotels, and buy and sell used cars. The government has cut state sector jobs as part of the reform process, and it has opened up some retail services to "self-employment," leading to the rise of so-called "cuentapropistas" or entrepreneurs. More than 500,000 Cuban workers are currently registered as self-employed.

The Cuban regime has updated its economic model to include permitting the private ownership and sale of real estate and new vehicles, allowing private farmers to sell agricultural goods directly to hotels, allowing the creation of non-agricultural cooperatives, adopting a new foreign investment law, and launching a "Special Development Zone" around the Mariel port.

Since 2016, Cuba has attributed slowed economic growth in part to problems with petroleum product deliveries from Venezuela. Since late 2000, Venezuela provided petroleum products to Cuba on preferential terms, supplying at times nearly 100,000 barrels per day. Cuba paid for the oil, in part, with the services of Cuban personnel in Venezuela, including some 30,000 medical professionals.

general assessment:
fixed-line and mobile services run by the state-run ETESCA; mobile-cellular telephone service is expensive and must be paid in convertible pesos; Cuban Government has opened several hundred Wi-Fi hotspots around the island, which are expensive, and launched a new residential Internet pilot in Havana and other provinces; ongoing normalisation of relations with the US warrants considerable economic prosperity for Cuba
(2017)

domestic:
fixed-line density remains low at about 12 per 100 inhabitants; mobile-cellular service is expanding to about 41 per 100 persons
(2017)

international:
country code - 53; the ALBA-1 fiber-optic submarine cable links Cuba, Jamaica, and Venezuela; January 2016 the FCC allowed US firms to do business directly with the Cuban telecom sector, the government has looked favourably on proposals for a new subsea cable to link Cuba directly with Florida, which would supplement the only direct international cable access, via the ALBA-1 cable from Venezuela; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); several US telecommunication companies have signed voice and data deals to serve their customers while in Cuba
(2017)

Broadcast media:

government owns and controls all broadcast media with private ownership of electronic media prohibited; however, several online independent news sites exist and those that are not openly critical of the government are often tolerated; government operates 5 national TV networks and many local TV stations; government operates 6 national radio networks, an international station, and many local radio stations; Radio-TV Marti is beamed from the US
(2017)

Internet country code:

.cu

Internet users:

total:4,334,022(July 2016 est.)

percent of population:38.8%(July 2016 est.)

note: private citizens are prohibited from buying computers or accessing the Internet without special authorization; foreigners may access the Internet in large hotels but are subject to firewalls; some Cubans buy illegal passwords on the black market or take advantage of public outlets to access limited email and the government-controlled "intranet"

17-28 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year service obligation for males, optional for females
(2017)

Military - note:

the collapse of the Soviet Union deprived the Cuban military of its major economic and logistic support and had a significant impact on the state of Cuban equipment; the army remains well trained and professional in nature; the lack of replacement parts for its existing equipment has increasingly affected operational capabilities
(2013)

Transnational Issues :: Cuba

Disputes - international:

US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to the United States and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the facility can terminate the lease

Trafficking in persons:

current situation:
Cuba is a source country for adults and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; child sex trafficking and child sex tourism occur in Cuba, while some Cubans are forced into prostitution in South America and the Caribbean; allegations have been made that some Cubans have been forced or coerced to work at Cuban medical missions abroad; assessing the scope of trafficking within Cuba is difficult because of the lack of information

tier rating:
Tier 2 Watch List - Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so; Cuba’s penal code does not criminalize all forms of human trafficking, but the government reported that it is in the process of amending its criminal code to comply with the 2000 UN TIP Protocol, to which it acceded in 2013; the government in 2014 prosecuted and convicted 13 sex traffickers and provided services to the victims in those cases but does not have shelters specifically for trafficking victims; the government did not recognize forced labor as a problem and took no action to address it; state media produced newspaper articles and TV and radio programs to raise public awareness about sex trafficking (2015)

Illicit drugs:

territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US- and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999